Väsen’s Joey Darragh and Tony Giordano, and Kobop’s Jason Song. (Courtesy Rachel Stotle)
Forest Hill has attracted another Scott’s Addition brewery.
Väsen Brewing Co. recently signed on to open a satellite taproom at 5047 Forest Hill Ave.
The brewery is leasing a 5,900-square-foot space that’s housed a handful of restaurants over the years, including Cafe Zata and Westover Station. Väsen’s original Scott’s Addition brewery, located in the Handcraft Building at 3331 W. Moore St., will remain open.
The Southside expansion marks Väsen’s first physical expansion since it opened in 2017. Joey Darragh, who owns Väsen with Tony Giordano, said they had plans for a D.C.-area taproom that fell through just before the pandemic. They spent the last few years looking for other spots for before landing in Forest Hill, a move Darragh said feels overdue.
“We’ve been eyeing the Southside and Forest Hill for a while. It felt like the stars finally aligned,” he said.
Darragh said Väsen Forest Hill will have around 16 tap lines, some of which will serve wine, cider and draft cocktails. The brewery’s most popular beers like its Norse Double IPA, Väsen Light lager and hefeweizen will be on tap, as well as one of its newer flagship, its West Coast IPA.
“We recently reintroduced into our core brands the West Coast IPA. We started seeing demand for non-hazy (IPAs), and there’s a lot of love for West Coast IPAs. They’re having a resurgence,” Darragh said.
Väsen is renovating the nearly 6,000-square-foot space. (Courtesy Fultz & Singh Architects)
The new taproom will include a food operation from Kobop Korean BBQ, a concept from Jason Song that’s been operating as a food truck in recent years. A 700-square-foot outdoor patio is also planned.
Väsen is leasing the space from local firm Dodson Development Group, which bought it, along with the neighboring buildings housing The Locker Room and Riverside Tavern, in a $2.6 million deal last year. Dodson renovated the building’s upstairs to be apartments, and the commercial space came available when food processing company Defiant Food Group moved out. Dodson CEO Duke Dodson said he’s long been a fan of Väsen and that he’s excited to have them at the Forest Hill property.
The taproom, plans for which were first reported by RVA Magazine, is scheduled to open in summer 2025.
Fultz & Singh Architects is designing the space, and PeterWerks is the general contractor. Dodson Commercial’s Palmer Wilkins and Clint Greene represented the landlord in negotiations, and 7 Hills Advisors’ Christina Jeffries and Landon Hinton represented Väsen.
Jumping from Scott’s Addition to Forest Hill is becoming a bit of a trend among local operators.
Others to do so include The Veil Brewing Co. and Stella’s Grocery, which both opened across the street from Väsen’s future Forest Hill home after opening in Scott’s Addition years prior. EAT Restaurant Partners is also heading south after signing on to open a Forest Hill location for Lucky AF, a sushi restaurant it first debuted in Scott’s Addition in 2020.